Ammonia condenser and rectifier



June 17, 1930. BRUEHL ET AL AMMONIA CONDENSER AND RECTIFIER Filed Jan. 19, 1928 INVENTORS 1 L447 W M ATTORNEYS Patented June 17, 1930 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE LAWRENCE BRUEHL AND LUDWIG REICHERT, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOBS TO GAS RIEEEBIGERATION CORPORATION, OF SCRANTON, PENNSYLVANIA, A CORPO- RATION OF DELAWARE AMMONIA CONDENSER AN D,RECTIFIER Application filed January 19, 1928. Serial No. 247,769.

Any ammonia condensed with the Water and returned directly from the rectifier to the still must be again boiled off at additional expense for the extra heating and condensing mediums required. It is important that the maximum amount of water be condensed and returned directly to the still and that the minimum amount of annnonia be condensed and returned with the water. 7

The present invention is an improved apparatus adapted to serve as a combined condenser and rectifier. The main objects are to secure high efiiciency in separately condensing the water and ammonia; to permit of low cost in the manufacture of the component parts and in the assembly of such parts; to facilitate the cleaning and removal of sediment deposited from the cooling water; and

to provide a compact design which will occupy the minimum space, for instance in a household refrigerator unit.

As one feature of the invention there is employed a pair of concentric chambers so connected that the gas is preliminarily cooled in one chamber by the water in the other and is then condensed in a coil in the water chamber. Thus a single stream of water serves for both the condensing and the rectifying connections are parts are employed to form or define these paths.

As another feature the parts are so designed that the entire helical path for the water maybe readily opened up and cleaned, while all joints in the path for the gas are welded so that no packings are required through which "the gas may leak.

In the accompanying drawings there is illustrated one embodiment of the present invention.

In these drawings:

Fig. 1 is a central longitudinal section; and

Figs. 2, 3 and 4 are transverse sections on the lines 22, 33, and 44 respectively of Fig. 1. 5

In the construction illustrated there are employed three cylindrical members having concentric peripheral walls or surfaces. The main or intermediate member 10 is a cylindrical metal sleeve or drum serving as a water chamber and having one or both of'its end walls 11 removable. As shown each end wall is a circular metal plate with an annular gasket 12 in the face thereof against which the end of the shell 10 may abut. The two end walls are connected and securely held in place by a central rod 13 having a head 14 on one end and a removable nut 15 on the other or nuts on both ends. Leakage of water through the end walls around the rod 13 may be prevented by suitable gaskets beneath the head 14 and the'nut 15. One end wall is provided with a suitable water inlet 16 and the other with a similar water outlet 17. The two end walls with their inlet and outlet preferably similar so as to be interchangeable.

Encirclmg the shell 10 is the outer of the three concentric members which is in the form of a sleeve'18. The sleeve is only a very little larger than the shell 10 so as to leave an annular chamber 19 between the two and comparatively thin in a radial direction. The ends of the sleeve 18 are preferably flanged in to engage the outer surface of the shell and form end walls for the chamber 19 and are welded in place so that there can be no leakage at the joints and no packings or gaskets are required.

The annular chamber 19 is provided with an ammonia inlet 20 adjacent to one end; an ammonia outlet 21 adjacent to the opposite end, and a drain outlet 22 at the first menmay be mounted in vertical or other position which will permit drainage of the water condensing in the rectifier. The ammonia inlet 20 and the ammonia outlet 21 are adjacent to the upper side of the annular chamber 19, while the drain 22 is on the lowerside.

The annular chamber 19 is subdivided into a helical path by means of a wire or rod 23 wound helically on the shell 10 ,between the inlet 20 and the outlet 21 and of a diameter approximately equal to the thickness of the annular chamber 19. The wire or rod 23 in each turn on the side of the shell 10 is provided with a recess or flattened surface'24 which forms a passage lengthwise of the annular chamber 19. Thus any liquid which is condensed in the chamber 19 through the flow of the gas along the helical path around the shell 10 will collect on the lower side of the chamber and may drain to the outlet 22. The gas in travelling through the helical passage is subjected to cooling action only on the inner side and by the water within the shell. By the use of water having a given head or pressure and of the proper temperature, and by proportioning the parts to give the desired rate of flow, very eflicient rectification may be effected and substantially all of the water will be condensed out of the ammonia and with comparatively little condensation of ammonia,- the water may be drained back to the still through the outlet 22 while substantially pure and uncondensed gas will be delivered 1from1 the annular chamber through the out- Within the water chamber there is provided a helical ammonia coil 25 extending substantially theentire length of the shell and preferably in direct contact with the wall of the shell. The inlet end 26 of this coil which is the end nearest to the water outlet 17 is connected to the outlet 21 from the rectifying chamber 19 by a pipe 27. The outlet 28 for the condensed or liquefied ammonia is at the end of the coil nearest to the water inlet 16.

Within the coil there is provided a third of the three concentric members. This has a cylindrical wall 29 which closely fits within the coil. The turns of the coil are spaced apart endwise so that the coil by engaging the walls 10 and 29 subdivides the annular water space 30 therebetween into a helical passage encircling the wall 29. The inner member has end walls 30 spaced from the end walls 11 and the shell so as to form chambers communicating with the helical water path between the turns of the coil and also communicating with the water inlet 16 and the outlet 17. The inner member may be rigidly secured to the center rod 13- and if said member be hollow and of metal, the end walls may be welded to the rod 13 so as to form a tight joint to prevent water from getting into the interior of the inner member. In practice this inner member may be made solid and of ceramic materialwith a central hole merelyv of suflicient size to receive the rod 13.

The turns of the coil are preferably closer at the ammonia outlet end, and the outer sleeve 18 is preferably shorter than the shell 10 so that itdoes not cover'a considerable portion of the shell 10 at the water inlet end. Thus water along the first portion of its path after entering the inlet 16 and while at its lowest temperature acts only on the ammonia within the coil so as to efiectively abstract the heatfrqm the latter and give the lowest possible temperature. After this water has been warmed up to a limited extent by the ammonia in the delivery end portion of the coil 25 it reaches the end of the annular chamber 19 and thereafter acts to cool the gas in said annular chamber as well as to cool the ammonia in the remaining portion of the coil 25. At the inlet end portion of the coil there are comparatively few turns so that the water acts through the shell to condense water vapor from the ammoniain the chamber 19.

It will be noted that all joints in the ammonia passage are sealed so that there is no possible point of leakage between the inlet 20 and the outlet 22. On the other hand the water flows only in the shell 10 between the turns of the coil and by removing the end walls 11 and the inner member 29, the helical path for the water is opened up on its inner side and may be readily cleaned. A large brush may be inserted in place of the inner member and by rotating it, all sediment collecting inthe helical water passage between the turns of the coil may be removed. I All of the parts are simple in design, the permanently connected parts are easily cleaned and the removable parts may be easily inserted or removed as required. The exterior of the apparatus is simple and neat in appearance and readily kept free from dust and does not present any pockets or surfaces for the collection of water which might tend tocorrode. The removal of the inner parts for cleaning the water chamber does not disturb any part of the ammonia circuit or the connections thereof. Although the .parts above described are intended primarily as an ammonia rectifier and condenser for refrigeratin apparatus of the absorption type, it will, 0 course, be understood that it is equally useful in other industries and in other systems where there is need for an analogous heat interchange between separate fluids.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A heat interchanger, including a pair of concentric walls forming an annular chamber therebetween, a coil within said chamber and having spaced turns to subdivide said space into a helical passage, and a helical passage encircling the outer of said walls and connected at one end to one end of said coil.

2. A heat interchanger, including three concentric walls forming two concentric annular chambers, helical members in said chambers subdividing them into helical passages, one of said members being a pipe coil and having one end connected to one end of the passage in the other chamber.

3. A heat interchanger, including three concentric walls forming two concentric annular chambers, helical members in said chambers subdividing them into helical passages, one of said members being a pipe coil and having one end connectedto the opposite end of the passage in the other chamber.

4:. A heat interchanger, including a shell, a jacket on the outside thereof and spaced therefrom to form an annular chamber, and a coil inside ofsaid shell, one end of said coil communicating with said jacket, and said jacket having means for subdividing it into a helical passage.

' 5. A heat interchanger, including a shell, a jacket 'on the outside thereof and spaced therefrom to form an annular chamber, a coil inside of said shell, one end of said coil communicating with said jacket, and removable end walls on said shell to permit cleaning of the space between the turns of said coil.

6. A heat interchanger, including a shell, a jacket on the outside thereof and spaced therefrom to form an annular chamber, a coil inside of said shell, one end of said coil communicating with said jacket, and a cylindrical member within said shell and cooperating with said shell, and said coil to form a'heli'cal passage between the turns of the coil.

7. A heat interchanger, includinga cylindrical shell having removable end walls, a coil within said shell and substantially contacting with the inner surfacethereof, the turns of the coil being axially spaced, a centrally disposed rod for holding said end walls in place, and a cylindrical member on said,

rod and having its outer surface substantially contacting with the turns of said coil to form a helical passage within the shell between the turns of the coil.

8. A heat interchanger, including a'shell having opposite'end walls, one of which is removable, an inlet in one end wall, an outlet in the other, an inner cylindrical memher having its outer surface substantially parallel to and spaced from the inner surface of said shell, and a coil disposed between said shell and said member and having its opposite ends extending through said shell, whereby one end wall and said inner member may be removed for cleaning the space between the turns of the coil.

9. A heat interchanger, including two concentric substantially horizontal walls connected together at the ends of one to form an annular chamber, a helical rod in said chamber dividing the latter into a helical passage, a gas inlet at one end of said passage, and a gas outlet at the other, each convolution of said rod having a constricted opening on the under side to form a passage lengthwise of the chamber to said liquid outlet.

10. A heat interchanger, including two concentric cylindrical walls disposed with their common axis substantially horizontal, a helical member between said walls and subdividing the space into a helical passage, a helical coil within the space encircled by theinner wall and having its opposite ends extending through the inner wall beyond the ends of the outer wall, and a pipe outside of the outer wall and connecting one end of said coil with the far end of the helical passage.

11. A heat interchanger, including two concentric cylindrical walls, the outer being shorter than the inner and having the ends flanged in and secured to the outer surface of the inner wall, and a coil within said inner wall and having its ends projecting through said inner wall beyond the ends'of the outer wall, one end of said coil communicating with the space between said walls.

12. heat interchanger, including two concentric walls, the outer being shorter than the inner and disposed adjacent to one end thereof, a coil encircled by the inner wall and extending substantially the entire length thereof, the spacing between the turns of the coil being less at the end projecting beyond the end of the outer wall, and means for connecting the opposite end of the coil with the space between said walls.

I 13. A heat interchanger, including two concentric walls the outer being shorter than the inner and disposed adjacent to one end thereof, a coil encircled by the inner wall and extending substantially the entire length thereof, the spacing between the turns of the coilbeing less at the end projecting beyond the end of the outer wall, means for connecting the opposite end of the coil with the space between said walls, and means within said space for subdividing the latter into a helical passage.

14. A. heat interchanger, including two the end of the outer wall, means for connectcoil and also coolsthe medium in the helical passage of the other chamber.

Si ned at Brookl in the county of Kings and tate of New ork, this twelfth day of January, 1928.

LAWRENCE BRUEI-IL. LUDWIG REICHERT.

ing the opposite end of the coil with the space between said walls, and means within the coil and cooperating with the latter and said inner wall to define a helical passage between the turns of the coil.

15. A heat interchanger, including two concentric walls, the outer being shorter than the inner and disposed adjacent to one end thereof, a coil encircled by the inner wall and extending substantially the entire length thereof, the spacing between the turns of the coil being less at the end projecting beyond the end of the outer wall, means for connecting the opposite end of the coil with the space between said walls, means within the coil and cooperating with the latter and said inner wall to define a helical passage between the turns of the coil, and means within said space for subdividing the latter into a helical passage.

16. A heat interchanger, including two concentric annular substantially horizontal chambers, a coil in'one chamber and a helical rod in the other, whereby each chamber is subdivided into a helical passage, connections between said coil and the passage in the other chamber, and means for delivering a cooling medium to the chamber having the coil, whereby the cooling medium acts through the wall of the coil and through the wall between said chambers on the medium to be cooled.

17. A heat interchanger, including two concentric annular substantially horizontal chambers, a coil in one chamber, a helical member in the other, whereby the two chambers are subdivided into helical passages, said helical member being constructed to permit limited flow lengthwise of its chamber along the lower side, a gas inlet and liquid outlet at one end of said last mentioned passage, and a gas outlet at the opposite end of said passage connected to said coil.

18. A heat interchanger, including two concentric annular substantially horizontal chambers, a coil in one chamber, a helical member in the other, whereby the two chainbers are subdivided into helical passages, said helical member being constructed to permit limited flow lengthwise of its chamber along the lower side, a gas inlet and liquid outlet at one end of said last mentioned assage, and a gas outlet at the opposite en of said passage connected to said coil, and the chamber containing said coil having an inlet at one end and an outlet at the opposite end for cooling medium, whereby the cooling medium flows helically between the turns of the 

